When it all Falls Apart
by unMaskedSmile
Summary: Another story about what happens immediately after the Season 1 finale.  -Since they were anon and I can't do this anywhere else... I just wanted to say thanks to AlphaTeam for the "deconstruction"... you're super awesome
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So I wrote this a really, _really_, long time ago. I'm talking about last December type long time ago. I was never completely satisfied with it, but now I've figured what the hell. I might as well post it since Season 2 is upon us (in about five weeks... yay!) and after that it would be completely irrelevant. **

**Also, this is my first multi-chapter attempt. I thought that by posting it you guys would help me figure out what I can improve on if I ever decide to try another. This isn't beta-ed so all mistakes are mine. If you see any major ones that you want to point out I'd be glad to fix them. Reviews would be nice... but if anything I hope that you at least semi-enjoy :-)**

**The standard non-ownership disclaimer. The characters belong to Tess Gerritsen and TNT.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1<strong>_

It was just another ordinary day.

Jane and Maura were starting it out in the Department gym. Since apparently they were a "disruption to the serenity of the group", they were no longer welcome in their yoga classes. Well, that's not entirely accurate. _They_ weren't the problem, Jane was. It wasn't her fault that serenity was boring and she needed something a little more stimulating. Being the good friend that she was, Maura gave up the class as well in search of something more satisfying for Jane. To Jane, that meant physical exertion, and the gym was exactly her kind of place.

Jane had just looked over to tell Maura again how sorry she was about the class, and that she was grateful to have her as a workout buddy when she noticed that Maura was ogling one of the officers. When the passive gazing evolved into actively complimenting the officer, Jane began to have second thoughts about this whole thing.

_Geez_, she thought, _maybe we should've gone somewhere not filled with people that I have to see everyday. I'm going to have to figure something else out..._

Her embarrassment didn't last long though. Maura became too preoccupied with thoughts of her tortoise, and Jane received a somewhat disturbing call which gave her the sudden urge to see what her parents were up to. Fortunately, Frankie had been in the gym as well. She may need some back-up in dealing with her parents, and he always got farther with their mother than she did. So with her brother in tow, Jane said goodbye to Maura and they went their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Jane was right. Her parents were definitely crazy. They had decided to throw a surprise party for her soon-to-be-unincarcerated, alcoholic brother... in a bar. And they just couldn't understand how she and Frankie, as cops, were against the whole idea. In the midst of them unsuccessfully trying to make their parents see sense, Jane got a call telling her that a fellow officer had been shot and killed.<p>

Sighing, and rubbing her forehead to ward off the oncoming headache, Jane thought, _First Maura, then my crazy family, now this... And the day had started out so promising... _

Once again grabbing Frankie, Jane quickly departed. She needed to get to the scene of the shooting, and she definitely didn't want to give her mother the chance to launch into another lecture on the dangers of her and and her brother's chosen profession, and how it was all her fault.

* * *

><p>Once she had arrived on the scene, Jane saw that pretty much the whole department, including Maura, was already there. The officer that had been killed, Danny, was working undercover for them so this was their mess. The lieutenant was taking it very personally, and demanded that every cop be on hand for solving this one. Jane was tasked with interviewing the deceased's ex-partner, Bobby. Not only because she had known both Danny and Bobby, but because she was the best. So, she took Bobby back to headquarters where she could try to find out what he knew without him having to be in the place where his partner had been mercilessly killed.<p>

They hadn't been back at headquarters long when all hell broke loose. Gunmen had invaded the building, presumably looking for some kind of evidence that would give away the identity of the cop-killer. A witness had been killed, Bobby and Frankie had both been shot, and Jane had no idea where Maura was. Frankie had taken the worst of it and she needed to get him help right away, as well as find Maura immediately.

Fortunately, Jane found Maura in the autopsy room. Her overwhelming relief at finding her best friend alive and well was tainted by her fear for her brother. At her panicked insistence, Maura was able to improvise a few emergency procedures to help Frankie cling onto life a little while longer until they could get him out. One of the gunmen entered the room, threatening and demanding. It was then that they discovered that Bobby knew everything, and was actually in charge of the whole operation.

After killing his accomplice, Bobby needed a way out. Jane put herself protectively in front of Maura and Frankie, forcing him to grab her as his hostage. He dragged her outside and down the steps of the building while she yelled at Frost, Korsak, and the other officers to just shoot him because Frankie needed help. They hesitated, not wanting her to get caught in the crossfire.

_Why are they just standing there? They need to do something! Frankie needs help!_ Jane's frantic thoughts were coursing through her mind.

When Bobby told her that he was probably already dead she knew what she had to do. Her brother needed help, and she needed to ensure that no one else got hurt. She had to end it herself. Maura burst through the doors as she struggled with the gun and screamed her name. The others just watched in stunned silence as Jane turned the gun into herself and shot. Seemingly in slow motion, the bullet went through her and into him, causing them both to fall to the ground.

* * *

><p>Korsak and Maura both rushed to get to Jane, but Maura was the first to reach her. Kneeling next to her she yelled frantically, "Jane? Jane can you hear me?"<p>

Jane opened her eyes and weakly mumbled, "Frankie?"

"He'll be fine, he's already on his way to the hospital."

Upon hearing that, Jane's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she immediately passed out. Maura ripped Jane's shirt and was trying to apply pressure to the wound to staunch the flow of blood. There was just too much. The blood was seeping from both her entrance and exit wounds.

"Another ambulance should be here any second," Korsak said, standing beside Maura.

Frost was standing nearby as well, still in absolute shock, "That was crazy... I've never seen anythi-"

"Shut up, Frost," Korsak interrupted him, whilst looking at Dr. Isles. Tears were flowing from her eyes, and she looked deathly pale. "Are you all right, Doc?"

"No... and I won't be until she is," Maura whispered.

"Coming through," a paramedic announced. He and his partner were approaching rapidly with a gurney. Maura stepped back so that they could lift Jane onto it and wheel her away. She, Korsak, and Frost followed.

When the paramedics lifted Jane into the waiting ambulance, one hooked her up to an oxygen tank and heart monitor while the other turned to the small group hovering by the door. "Only one of you can ride with her."

Maura looked to Korsak uneasily. She really wanted to be the one to go, but he had already taken a step forward. Frost shook his head and put his hand on Korsak's shoulder, stopping him. "You should be the one to go with her, Dr. Isles. Jane would want that. We'll meet you there."

Seeing the look on Maura's face, Korsak nodded and took a step back. She sighed gratefully. There was no way she would've been able to handle leaving Jane's side. She climbed in, the doors shut, and away they went.

The two detectives silently watched the ambulance speed away before turning to their own car to follow.

* * *

><p>Maura sat next to Jane, holding her hand while the paramedics monitored her situation.<p>

"Her heart rate is dropping and we're still... three minutes out," one called.

"Jane. Jane, you need to fight. Don't do this to me," Maura cried softly to her.

Although the sirens were blaring as the ambulance sped through town, the only sound that could be heard within was uncontrollable sobbing, and the steady tone that signified the end.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

Sitting in a bar across town, was a very upset Angela and Frank Rizzoli. All of their planning had been for naught. Their son, Tommy, would not be coming home after all. He was still being released from prison, he'd just rather stay with his friends than be with his family. Angela was heartbroken. The sound of her phone ringing pierced through her sobs.

Not recognizing the number she answered, "Tommy? Tommy, please tell me that you've changed your mind after all."

There was a slight hesitation on the line. "Mrs. Rizzoli, it's Dr. Isles-"

"Oh, Maura. Can I talk to you later? Now's not really a good time, dear," Angela interrupted before she could say anything else.

"No. You see there's been a... been an incident," Maura answered.

Fear gripped Angela. "What kind of incident?" she asked.

"A horrible one. Jane and Frankie... they've been shot. You need to come to the Boston Medical Center right away."

"Oh my god. We're on our way."

* * *

><p>Thanking the receptionist for the use of the phone, Maura turned back to the waiting room with a sigh. Her emotions were running rampant. And she had never been good with dealing with emotions.<p>

Jane had flatlined in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Flatlined. For all intents and purposes she had died. When Maura had heard the solid beep of the monitor she felt as though she had died right along beside her. In that brief moment, before the paramedics were able to restart Jane's heart, it was her life that flashed before her eyes. She realized that it was divided into two distinct parts: The before Jane, and the after.

Now that she knew what it was like to live in the world of Jane Rizzoli, she didn't want to go back to the before. Back to the times when her friendships were based on her social status, and her parents' bank account. The times when the outward appearance of perfection mattered more than anything else. The times when she needed to project a certain image of herself in order to be liked. When the only being she could really be herself with was a tortoise. She wanted to stay firmly in this after. To really know what it is to live, to laugh, to love, and to be loved for who she was. Or maybe in spite of it. Jane was the one who had really introduced her to life, and there would be no living without her.

She paused in the doorway of the waiting room. Frost was sitting with his head in his hands, while Korsak paced the length of the room. She watched for a moment before deciding to go sit by Frost's side. Once she was there she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She opted for sitting there silently, hugging her arms to her chest, and fighting to control her emotions. When Frost placed a comforting hand on her back she lost the battle and tears once again began streaming down her face. Korsak stopped his pacing to sit by her other side. He pulled her into a hug, trying, unsuccessfully, to soothe her. She continued to cry in his embrace.

The hug was all wrong. The last time she had broken down like this it had been Jane's arms wrapped around her in comfort. While Maura appreciated the effort, it just wasn't the same. All it did was serve to remind her why it was that she was that she was crying, and why it wasn't Jane doing the comforting.

Not knowing what more to do, Korsak and Frost sat in silence as they waited for Maura's sobs to subside. After a few minutes, when it had finally seemed as though her tears had run their course, Maura spoke up, "I'm so sorry Korsak. I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay, Doc, I understand. It's been a long day. Maybe you sh-"

"No," Maura interrupted him, anticipating what he had been about to say. "I need to be here."

Just then, a doctor stepped through the double doors. "Anyone here for Rizzoli?" he asked.

Immediately, Maura and the detectives jumped to their feet. They all answered simultaneously, "Yeah, that's us" - "What is their status?" - "How are they?".

"Are you immediate family?" the doctor asked, looking at the motley crew.

This time only Maura spoke up, hesitantly. She had wanted to lie so badly, but she just couldn't. "No, but please doctor. Their parents aren't here yet and we-"

"I'm sorry ma'am, we can only give out information to immediate family."

Maura looked close to tears again when another voice spoke up very rapidly, "We're their parents. Frank and Angela Rizzoli. Please, tell me how my children are."

Angela and Frank had just rushed around the corner into the waiting room and heard the doctor talking to Maura. She had a look of desperation about her and Angela could tell she had been crying. Fearing that her worst nightmares had come to pass she told the doctor, "Please, tell us. You can say anything in front of them... they are family."

Maura and the detectives looked on gratefully as the doctor formulated his answer. "Well then, Mr. and Mrs. Rizzoli, I'm Dr. Edwards and I just wanted to give you an update on the status of your children. Frankie has suffered extreme blunt force trauma, and with that some complications. His spleen has ruptured, but it is mendable and a splenectomy will not be necessary. Also, his left lung has collapsed, and we are taking the steps to repair that as well. Aside from a few broken ribs, and some bruising, he should come out of this fairly well. He was very fortunate, though. Had it not been for the procedures performed on him in the field, he would have never made it here, and we would be having a very different conversation."

Angela's relief had been palpable. She let out a sigh and took a seat. Frankie was going to be okay. She still didn't know the details of what had transpired that day, and wanted to find out as soon as possible. Especially since she needed to thank whoever it was who had ensured her boy's survival. But first she had to ask, "And Jane?"

Maura, who had been standing by, stiffened. She waited with baited breath, as her entire existence was hinged on the doctor's answer. It seemed like an eternity before he finally answered.

"Jane is another story," the doctor said slowly, clearly trying to figure out the best way possible to tell the family her condition. "Her case is completely different since the bullet actually penetrated and then completely exited her body. It carved a path of destruction on it's way out. The intestine, a kidney, the liver, and the stomach have all been damaged. There is a very high risk of infection due to the damaged intestines and stomach. She was fortunate, though, that the bullet missed the spinal cord upon exit. We're doing everything we can right now."

Facts, statistics, possibilities. Maura's brain went into overdrive. She didn't like the direction her thoughts were headed. She just kept trying to think, _She'll be fine... Everything will work out... She'll be completely fine._ But it was too much for her. Her nerves were shot. She fainted right into Korsak's waiting arms.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Maura was a little disorientated when she awoke. Silently, she took in her surroundings. She was laying on an uncomfortable couch, in an unfamiliar room, while using one unfamiliar coat as a pillow, and another draped over the top half of her body as if it were a blanket. Looking again more closely, she realized that the coats belonged to Korsak and Frost. Which meant that they were how she came to be in this room. Just as she had decided that she should go in search of them, the door swung open. Frost entered first, followed by Korsak, who was carrying a bottle of water and a muffin.

"Feeling better Doc?" Korsak called out as he strolled into the room.

"Yes, thank you, Vince," Maura answered. "How long was I out?"

"Only about five minutes. We brought you straight from the main waiting room to this private one that's reserved for the families of those who are going to be in surgery for awhile," he answered as he held out the water and muffin.

She took the water gratefully, but shook her head at the muffin. She took a small sip before she asked, "And the Rizzolis?"

This time it was Frost who answered, "They're just going over some papers. You know, standard insurance stuff. They'll be right in. They're very worried about you."

"Oh, dear," Maura said, slightly distressed. "They have enough to be worried about. They shouldn't concern themselves with me."

"Nonsense," a voice chimed in from the door. Angela and Frank were entering the room. She quickly strode over to wrap Maura up in a forceful hug. Sitting next to her on the couch, she kept a firm hold on the doctor's hand. "Even if you hadn't been the one to save my baby boy, you should know that we love you, and we worry about you the same way we worry about Janie."

"Mrs. Rizzo-," Maura started.

"How many times to I have to tell you to call me Angela?"

"Sorry, Angela," Maura paused for a moment before continuing, "you don't know what that means to me. But, how did you know what I had done for Frankie?"

"Well, I had my suspicions," Angela answered, "but Korsak confirmed them."

"Yeah," Korsak piped up. "While you were out of it, Mrs. Rizzoli asked if I knew who saved Frankie so she could thank them properly. I told her to look no further than our favorite ME," he finished with a tender smile.

Maura felt close to tears once again at the outpouring of affection. "I was so scared. It was actually Jane who insisted that..." she couldn't go on. Thinking of Jane caused the tears to threaten again.

"Shh... it's okay," Angela told her, squeezing her hand. "They're both going to be fine. Right now what I want you to do is go home, shower, and get something to eat. Then you can come back and wait with us."

For the first time since Jane had been shot Maura looked down at herself. She took in the state of her bloody dress and scuffed shoes. She could only imagine what her hair and make-up looked like after her crying sessions and bout of fainting. Even still, "Angela, I really don't-"

"No, Maura," she was interrupted. "You're going to do what I say. You'll feel so much better after a shower and some food. Then you can come back and be here as long as you want. Janie would not be happy if she thought we were letting you neglect yourself for her sake. I've talked to the doctors. Frankie'll be in surgery for about another hour and Janie's got at least two. You have plenty of time."

Maura looked like she was about to argue some more when Frost spoke up, "Come on, Dr. Isles. I'll take you home."

Sighing with the realization that she was not going to win this argument, she stood up. "You promise to call me if anything happens?"

"Of course, dear," Angela promised, hugging her once more. "Now go."

Maura reluctantly said her goodbyes to Korsak and Frank while Frost just nodded to them and practically pushed her out the door.

* * *

><p>Realizing that she had left her purse, keys, car, and even Bass back at the station, she and Frost reluctantly returned to the scene of the crime. Had it not been for Bass, Maura would've been content to just shower in the locker room and change back into her workout clothes from that morning in order to get back to the hospital as soon as possible. She knew, though, that she needed to get her tortoise home, especially since she didn't know how long it would be until she herself got to go home to stay. Once she returned to the hospital she would not leave Jane again until she woke up. Even then, she wasn't so sure.<p>

Frost had insisted on following Maura home, and once they were there he also insisted on her allowing him to enter first. While he was inspecting, Maura was creating a mental checklist. _Shower, change, pack, see to Bass's needs, call the caretaker, order food. _Once Frost was satisfied that there was no hidden dangers lurking in the shadows, he left to head back to the hospital, and Maura set about her tasks.

Deciding that she never wanted any kind of reminder of this day, Maura quickly stripped out of her torn, bloodied dress and threw it, along with the shoes, into the trash. Although she was in a rush, she allowed herself the slight indulgence of allowing the steaming hot water to stream over her tense muscles. She wished that the horrors of the day could be washed away as easily as the dried blood that clung to her skin. Jane's blood. Seeing the crimson ribbons of blood in the water swirl the drain caused Maura to break in to tears once again. She would permit herself this as well. Just one last time. After this, she would need to be strong.

By the time Maura had finished everything she needed to do, much more time had passed than she had intended. Knowing that Angela would be disappointed if she returned to the hospital without having eaten, she decided to stop off at a deli along the way and take back food for everyone. After all, it was highly unlikely that the Rizzolis themselves had left the hospital to see to their own needs. This was the least she could do for them. They would need to keep their strengths up as well.

When she finally returned to the hospital she was met by Frost. He informed her that both Frankie and Jane had come out of their surgeries, and that Frankie was already awake and in a room of his own. Jane was still waiting to come out from under sedation in a Recovery Room.

Upon hearing that information, she thrust the sandwiches at Frost and rushed off towards where Jane was. She made it to just outside the area when she froze. Could she handle this? Just seeing Jane so devoid of her usual vitality would be so unnatural, it might be more than she could take. Still unsure, she hovered outside the cubicle in silent contemplation.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

"You can go in, you know?" Frank Sr.'s voice sounded from behind her.

"Yes, of course. I just…" Maura trailed off, unsure of how to put exactly what she was feeling into words.

"It's okay, I understand," Frank said, patting her shoulder awkwardly. "If you're up to it, Frankie's awake and asking for you."

Feeling the need to postpone her emotional turmoil a little longer she nodded. "Absolutely, I would love to go see how he's doing."

"We haven't told him about Janie yet. He knows that something's wrong since she hasn't been to see him, but he hasn't asked. I think he's waiting to hear it from you."

"Thank you for preparing me. I'll try to formulate a proper response without upsetting him further."

They walked in silence down the corridor leading to Frankie's room. Maura was trying to gather her thoughts. _So much for the avoidance plan__,_ she thought, _I'll have to face this. I will definitely be unable to keep the truth from him_. _I hope I don't go vasovagal, that would be extremely inconvenient, and embarrassing to say the least. _

When they arrived at Frankie's room, Frank opened the door for Maura, but remained in the hall just outside. Frankie was lying quietly in the bed. IVs and monitors hooked up at various places on his body. Angela was occupying a seat next to her son's beside. She lifted her head as she heard the click of the doctor's heels, then immediately leapt out of her chair. "Oh Maura," she exclaimed with another hug. "You look a little better than earlier. Did you eat?"

"Oh no, Mrs.-" at a glare from Angela she corrected herself, "Angela, I honestly forgot. When Barry informed me that Frankie and Jane were finished with their surgeries I rushed over to the Recovery Room. However, I did bring some sandwiches from a nearby deli for everyone, and will eat one as soon as possible."

"That was very thoughtful of you, dear. You talk to Frankie, and Frank and I will go check on Janie, then bring you back a sandwich."

With a pat on the hand for Maura, and a kiss on the forehead for Frankie, she swept out of the room. Maura settled into the recently vacated chair, and studied her nails. She wasn't quite ready to look into eyes that would seem so familiar to her, but yet not really be the ones that she knew so well. For a few moments there was only silence. Neither occupant knew exactly how to broach the subject that they were both avoiding. Finally, Frankie spoke up, and she was forced to look into the eyes so like her best friend's.

"Hey Doc?-"

"Maura. Please." she interrupted.

"Maura," he started again, testing the awkwardness of her name on his tongue. No matter how close she was to his sister, he had always felt as though he needed to keep a little bit of formality between them. "Maura, where's Janie?"

"Oh, Frankie," she sighed, but he continued on.

"I know something's wrong. She woulda been the first one in here, you know? The first one to be putting the pressure on the docs to make sure I was okay. I remember how she was with you, making you do things, yelling at you, begging you even. How scared she was. Thank you, by the way, for saving my life. I know you did it for my sister, but still-"

Maura cut him off. "You don't know how glad I am that I was able to help you, Frankie. In the moment, I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to. But I knew that I could not betray the faith that Jane has entrusted in me. I needed to save you. Jane has been through so much in her life, lost so much, that I could not bear the thought of allowing her to lose you as well."

Frankie closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "Maura," he said with hesitation, steeling himself for what the answer would be. "Have I lost my sister?"

His voice had cracked a little, and Maura knew that he was scared. Afraid that he had lost his big sister. Empathizing with his fear, she immediately stood and grasped his hand. The Rizzolis were very tactual people, and although she wasn't naturally, she knew that this would offer some sort of small comfort. His eyes shot open and she could see the unshed tears in them.

"No, you haven't lost her."

Frankie's relief was palpable, and yet, "Why isn't she here then?" He asked, looking confused.

Maura knew that the only answer she could give would be the truth. Unsure of how he would react, she answered slowly, "She shot herself. In order to take herself out of the hostage situation."

Now he looked slightly amused, "Oh man, that's so Jane. She always has to be a badass. So what... are they reaming her or something? They better lock her up for awhile so she's safe. Ma's gonna kill her."

Clearly Frankie didn't understand. "Clearly you don't understand," Maura stated.

"Yeah, I get it. We've talked about it before. If either of us ever got into a hostage situation the other would shoot them in the leg or the foot or something. The bad guy wouldn't want to drag us around so they'd just drop us and run away. Man, I hope they got Marino."

Maura sat back in the chair next to the bed, slightly shocked. "That is a completely ridiculous, not to mention dangerous, and irresponsible idea."

"Well," he said sheepishly, "we did get the idea from a movie we watched a really long time ago."

Deciding that the movie was not the most important thing right now, Maura decided to just come out and say it. "Actually, Jane shot herself through the abdomen. The bullet traveled through her, into Marino, and lodged in such a way that it killed him. There's no need to send anyone out to _get_ him anymore."

Frankie's jaw dropped. "Holy shit. Is Jane okay?"

"At the moment she is still under the effects of anesthesia. She had some severe internal damage, but as far as I know she should recover."

She was thankful that she had been sitting because a fresh wave of fear surged through her body, making her feel slightly dizzy. _As far as I know... As far as I know... Oh god... I don't know anything... I cannot handle not knowing anything_. Thoughts were racing around her head, and this time it was Frankie who reached out and grabbed her hand in comfort.

"She's going to be okay Maura. No one is as stubborn as Jane. It's going to take a lot more than a little gunshot wound to bring her down. She's not going to leave us." Then Frankie flashed her that famous Rizzoli smirk, and she couldn't help but feel a little better. "Especially you," he concluded.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

_It was a hot summer day, and Jane was standing under the protective shade of a gazebo. The beautifully decorated garden that housed said gazebo was filled with the sounds of happy conversation and laughter. She looked around at the neatly placed rows. One set held her friends and family. Her parents sitting in the front, Korsak and Frost right behind them, followed by various brothers in blue and extended family. She noticed the other set of rows held faces that weren't as familiar to her. She knew she recognized some, but she couldn't quite place them. Her brother, wearing a white suit to match hers, was standing right next to her._

"_We should be starting soon," Frankie said softly. Jane simply nodded, fidgeting slightly with the hem of her jacket. _

_Many things happened in rapid succession. The congregation grew silent. Music flared. The gathering stood. And Maura, a vision in white, appeared at the head of the aisle. She was beaming as she began her slow trek towards the dais. Jane could feel the blood rushing around in her head. She had never seen anything as perfect as the sight in front of her. Finally, Maura reached the end of her walkway. Lost in her stupor, Jane was slow to react. Just as she was about to step forward she was beaten to it. Frankie moved from where he was beside her and reached out for Maura's hand._

_With a smile in Jane's direction, Maura grasped the proffered hand and turned away from the crowd. Jane felt as though she'd been punched in the stomach. She didn't know what was going on here, and felt as if she were about to go into shock or something. Oblivious to Jane's inner turmoil, the priest's voice rang out._

"_You may be seated. We are gathered here today to join Franco Salvatore Rizzoli Jr. and Maura Elizabeth Isles in Holy Matrimony."_

_No, no, no, this so cannot be happening, Jane thought as she started to hyperventilate. _

"No... no... Maura..."

When she heard the mumbled voice, Angela shot out of the chair that she had been in. "Janie?"

"Maura no..." Jane continued to mumble.

Angela leaned over her daughter's bedside. "Janie? Are you awake?"

Jane's eyes flew open to see her mother's concerned face staring down at her. "Ma?" she asked, trying to sit up.

"Calm down, you're going to hurt yourself," Angela said, as she laid her hand on Jane's shoulder to keep her from rising.

Looking around the room, Jane suddenly realized where she was, and how she came to be there. Immediately upon that realization, was the instant concern for her brother and best friend.

"How's Frankie?" she asked hesitantly, scared of what her mother's answer would be.

"A little banged up, but the doctors say he'll be fine."

Jane released a relieved sigh. Everything was going to be fine. Her brother had made it, Maura wasn't hurt, and even she had survived her own recklessness. She couldn't help but smile at her luck.

"Maura's in with him now." Angela continued. She noted the way her daughter's face fell, but said nothing of it. "I'll send your father to tell them you're awake, he's just in the waiting room with Barry and Vince. Actually, it'll probably be faster if I went myself, and Maura will want to know right away. So, I'll be right back."

All of this was said so quickly it made Jane's head spin, and before she knew it, her mom had kissed her forehead and gone bounding out the door to spread the good news.

Suddenly alone, Jane's thoughts went back to her dream. It had seemed so real, and it had hurt so bad. And now Maura really was with Frankie. Here she was, lying in a hospital bed, after shooting herself and almost dying, and her best friend wasn't even there when she woke up. True, her father hadn't been either, but that was different. She had thought that Maura... well she wasn't exactly sure what she had thought, but she did know one thing. If the situations had been reversed, and it was Maura laying in a hospital bed, there wouldn't be a force on earth that could keep her away from her bedside.

That was when it hit her. Like lightning. Like a gunshot, really. _That's because you're in love her, Rizzoli. _After her own mind had shocked her with it's stunning self revelation, it immediately followed up with a saddening one. S_he must not love you the way you love her, and she's in with Frankie..._

Jane felt like her world was crashing down. She loved Maura, and apparently Maura loved Frankie. So the decision was made. Jane loved them both too much to stand in the way, no matter what her own feelings were. _How stupid I was to barely realize it, maybe I could've had a chance. It doesn't matter now, I _will_ turn these feelings off._

* * *

><p>Maura had been staring at Frankie for at least a minute now, a perplexed look gracing her features. Her thoughts were once again racing, trying to figure out what it was exactly that he meant by that last statement. Trying to figure out what it was that she wanted him to mean by it. Trying to figure out why she wanted him to mean what she thought he did. Coming to a few realizations of her own.<p>

For his part, Frankie just looked at her amused, until finally he barked out a laugh. "Oh come on, Doc," he said teasingly, "smoke's gonna start coming out of your ears soon."

"That's a physical impossibility," Maura replied.

"I know," Frankie answered, then added under his breath _I forgot she was so literal. _Speaking up once again he said, "I just meant that you're thinking so hard about something that's so obvious." When it didn't seem as though she was going to say anything, he continued, "Janie would never leave you because she loves you. Like, _love _loves you."

Maura was surprised, to say the least, that he would just come out and say it like that. "What?"

"Yup, and if I was a betting man," _which I kinda am, since I've got a little thing going on about you two with Frost and Korsak,_ he thought to himself before he went on, "I'd say that you felt the same way about her. Am I right?"

There it was. Frankie had unknowingly asked the perfect question. Maura knew she couldn't lie. She could try to deflect, or even try to interpret the question in a way that would allow to not answer one-hundred percent truthfully, but she didn't want to. She found herself wanting to tell him. Now that she had just completely settled on what it was that she had been feeling all of this time. Yes, she loved Jane. Yes, she was in love with her.

"You're right," she said quietly, "I love her."

Before Frankie had the chance to form any kind of response, Angela burst into the room declaring, "Jane's awake."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

Jane was laying propped up in her hospital bed, with her eyes closed, trying to settle her whirling thoughts. Any minute now her newly-realized unrequited love would come strolling through the door and she had to be ready.

A hesitant voice called softly from the doorway, "Jane?"

Taking a moment for one last steadying breath, she slowly opened her eyes. In a flash, Maura was across the room, at her bedside, grasping her hand and shooting off what seemed like a million questions a minute. "Oh my god, Jane, you're awake. How do you feel? Are you in pain? Can I get you anything? Have you talked to the Doctor yet? What did he say? When-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, Busta Rhymes," Jane chuckled. "One question at a time, Jane Lo's head is spinning."

"What is a 'Busta Rhyme'?" Maura asked confusedly. "Is the anesthesia affecting your thought process?"

"No Maura, he was a rapper who was real big like a decade ago. He spoke really fast, like you were right now. Frankie used to like him," at the thought of Frankie, Jane paused for a moment with a twinge of pain. "How is Frankie? Ma mentioned he was fine, but didn't really give me any details." At Maura's look, she continued, "Just tell me how Frankie is first, and then you can ask me all your questions. Slower though, so I can actually give you an answer before you jump to the next."

Maura pursed her lips. She didn't really want to talk about Frankie. She liked him, and was really, _really_ happy that he was going to be all right, but he wasn't who she was concerned about right at this moment. All she really cared about was her best friend. But, knowing how stubborn Jane was, she knew she would have to give her some answers before she herself could get any of her own.

"Frankie is going to be fine. He had some damage to his spleen and a collapsed lung, which you already knew about. They were able to repair those damages perfectly well, but he will suffer from additional soreness for awhile due to fractured ribs and multiple contusions. He'll likely be discharged within the next two days."

"But, he's going to be a hundred percent fine, right? I mean, like there's going to be no lasting side effects?"

"No, no lasting side effects. One hundred percent fine."

Jane breathed a sigh of relief. Her baby brother would be good as new, in time. "Okay then, shoot."

Maura shot an icy glare at Jane. _Wow, if looks could kill..._ Jane thought. _I better not say that either._ What she did say was "Too soon?" a little sheepishly, giving Maura a scared little grin.

"It will always be too soon," Maura answered solemnly. Then she sat for a moment, trying to decide what her most important question was. What it was that she needed to know the most. Finally she settled on, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel okay, not too bad, just a little sore. I know I've got a bunch of painkillers and crap coursing through my system, though, so I fully expect it to hurt like a bitch once all of it wears off."

"Well, we'll have them make adjustments so that it never really fully wears off. I don't want you to be in any unnecessary pain. Have you spoken to your Doctor yet?"

"Not yet. He'll probably be in here soon."

"Well, whatever you need, just let me know and I will get it for you."

Jane frowned slightly. The words so closely echoed ones that she herself had uttered not too long ago. _Whatever you want, I can get it,_ she thought. _Funny... I should've known then how I felt. If I had, then maybe I could actually have what it is that I need from Maura._ "Don't worry about it, Maur, I'm sure that Ma-"

She was interrupted by a knock on the open door, followed by a voice calling out "Knock, knock." _God, I hate when people do that, _she thought. "I'm Dr. Edwards," the voice continued. "Nice to meet you Miss Rizzoli."

"Detective Rizzoli," Jane answered a little snappishly. Feeling Maura squeeze her hand, she gave a slight sigh, "Sorry, Doc, I didn't mean to snap."

"No need to apologize, Detective, you earned the title, I should've used it, so I am sorry as well." He turned to Maura, "I know I saw you earlier, but I didn't catch the name... you are?"

"Dr. Maura Isles," she answered. "What is the prognosis?"

Dr. Edwards turned back towards Jane. Before he could even ask, she let out a little laugh, "Go ahead and tell her, Doc, she'll know what you're talking about better than I will anyways. All I care about is when I can get out of here. All that other technical stuff, I don't need to know."

"It's not really 'technical stuff', Jane, it's medical. The word technical impl-"

"Okay, Talking Google," Jane interrupted, "let the man speak."

Dr. Edwards gave a little chuckle. "Well," he said, "since you don't really care about the 'technical stuff', I'll just give you the gist of it. The bullet went through your liver, kidney, intestine, and stomach. We've patched you all up, but we'll need to monitor you for a bit to make sure everything holds and you don't get any infections. Barring any complications, you should be out of here in about a week."

"Ha... short and sweet, that's what I like," Jane exclaimed. "Any chance I can be out of here before that?"

"Jane..." Maura admonished.

"I can tell you're going to difficult," Dr. Edwards said amused.

"You have no idea," Maura mumbled.

"No, you'll have to stay the whole week. Longer if you don't behave," he continued with a smile.

"Okay, best behavior, Doc. Scout's honor," Jane promised, putting her fingers up in the classic Boy Scout's salute. Maura simply rolled her eyes, _yeah right_, she thought.

For his part, Dr. Edwards continued to be amused at his patient's antics. He strolled over to her IV and gave it a quick check. Jotting a note on her chart, he told Jane, "Well, everything looks pretty good here, so they'll be in shortly to move you up to a room. I'll see you in awhile, Detective. If you need anything though, don't hesitate to have me paged."

"Thanks Doc, see you later" she answered. With a nod and a smile he turned and swept out of the room.

"Well," Maura said, "a week doesn't seem that bad."

"That bad?" Jane asked, incredulously. "It's horrible. I'm gonna be bored out of my freakin' mind."

"Well, I am staying so you'll have me for company," Maura stated matter-of-factly, "and I'm sure your parents will be here often, especially your mother, as well as Barry and Vince."

_Wait, what? What does she mean she's staying? She can't stay,_ Jane thought. "What? No, Maur, go home. I know you have better things to do."

"What could I possibly have to do that would be better than spending time with my best friend to make sure she's all right? Or more important for that matter?"

"Seriously, it's no big deal, don't worry. I don't want you to have to be trapped here too, you should go home and rest."

Maura was becoming exasperated. "What's going on, Jane? Do you not _want_ me to stay here with you?"

Jane was saved from having to answer by two guys entering the room. "We're here to move you to a private room," one said to Jane. He then turned to Maura, "I'm sorry ma'am, but you're going to have to leave so we have room to move all this stuff. You can meet her in her room in about fifteen minutes. It'll be room 4127."

"Thank you, gentlemen," Maura acknowledged, rising from the chair she had occupied next to Jane's bed, "I'll get out of your way. Jane, we'll finish this discussion in a bit." Without another word, or glance in Jane's direction, she left the room.

"Fun," Jane muttered with a sigh.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

Rather than go to the waiting room, Maura decided to go back to Frankie's room to update them on Jane's status. Conveniently, the Rizzolis had been joined by Frost and Korsak so she would be able to tell them all at once.

"Well," she said, addressing the assembly, "Jane's doctor came in and spoke with her. Barring any complications she should be ready to go home in about a week."

"Wow, she's gonna go crazy," Frost laughed.

Korsak joined him, "I feel bad for the hospital staff."

They all laughed for a moment, imagining all the ways Jane was going to be a nuisance to the hospital for the next few days.

"Poor Janie," Angela said after the laughter had died down. "How does she seem?"

"As to be expected, she is upset about having to stay in the hospital. Other than that, she doesn't seem to be in any pain. She is, however, still heavily medicated," Maura explained. "Her room number is 4127, she should be there by now. I know you're all eager to see her so go ahead, I'll stay and keep Frankie company."

They all shuffled out the door mumbling various goodbyes. Frost and Korsak were going to head out after checking on Jane, and the elder Rizzolis would be back in little bit, depending on how long it was until Jane kicked them out. As soon as they were all clear of the room, Maura sat down next to Frankie's bed and heaved a sigh.

Frankie took in her downtrodden appearance and wondered how it was that she seemed worse than before. Shouldn't she be feeling better after finding out that Jane was okay? "What's wrong, Maura?" he asked.

"I think you were wrong," Maura confessed.

Frankie was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Jane. I don't think she feels about me the way that you thought."

"What makes you say that?"

"She's acting strangely... sort of distant. I told her I would stay with her to keep her company, and that I would get her anything she needed. She just kept telling me 'don't worry about it,' and 'go home'," Maura explained.

Frankie thought about it for a little bit. He wasn't wrong, he knew that for a fact. He saw the way his sister acted around the doctor. From the start of their friendship he could see the differences in her. She smiled more. She talked more. Granted most of those conversations brought up Maura in some way, but still. She was more laidback. She was almost the Janie she was before the whole Hoyt incident. "No, I know I'm right," he told Maura. "Something's just gotten into her head and she's closing off again."

"I asked her very straightforward if she didn't want me to stay. We were interrupted before she could answer, but I could see it on her face. She doesn't _want_ me here."

"I don't know what's going on in her head, but she's gotta be thinking crazy about something. Ma told me that she was saying your name in her sleep right before she woke up. Maybe she was having a nightmare or something that you were in danger. You know how she gets when she wants to protect someone."

"Yes, and we all know how stubborn she can be once she gets something into her head. I suppose I'll just give her a little space for awhile."

"Don't worry Maura, it'll all be fine, you'll see. She'll come around."

After that the pair sat in silence. Each of them trying to figure out what was going through Jane's head. A very short while later, Angela came striding back into the room.

"Well that didn't take long, Ma," Frankie pointed out with a laugh.

"Well, you know how Janie is. She said I was giving her a headache. I was just telling her how worried she made us all and wanted to know what she was thinking," Angela offered by way of explanation.

Frankie just rolled his eyes. "Sure, Ma, that's all."

"What? It's the truth. Oh Maura, Jane said that if you wanted to go back and 'finish your discussion' to send you on over."

With a meaningful look towards Frankie, Maura hopped out of the chair. "Thank you, Angela, I'll go do that."

Angela settled herself next to Frankie. As she was walking out the door, Maura heard Angela fussing over the state of her son's hair and muttering something about cute nurses. She had to stifle a laugh at the sound of Frankie's exasperated exclamation of "Ma!"

* * *

><p>It had only taken Jane about twenty minutes to get tired of her mom. Angela came in like a storm, followed quietly by her father, Frost, and Korsak. The three of them just stood by quietly while she went on and on about how dangerous her job was, and how she was living in a constant state of fear, and it was only a matter of time before Jane really did get herself killed, and what was she thinking? Pretty much the usual.<p>

Jane really wasn't in the mood to argue. She couldn't get a word in edgewise anyways at the rate her mom was ranting. When Angela finally paused for a breath, Jane quickly threw out that she was getting a headache and wanted to sleep. As if they had been the source of Jane's stress, Angela turned to the men and shooed them out of the room stating Jane's need to get some rest. With mumbled goodbyes and promises to come back and visit later they filed out. As Angela was leaving, Jane called out to her to ask Maura to come back so they could finish their discussion.

So here she was again. Laying in bed, with her eyes closed, waiting for Maura to stroll in at any second. As soon as Maura had left her room earlier she had immediately felt guilty. She knew that she had been a bit cold and distant, and it wasn't fair to Maura. No matter whatever else, she really was her best friend, and Jane had no obvious reason for pushing her away. Especially when the truth was that she really wanted nothing more to spend every moment possible with her. She just couldn't though, it would be too painful, she would just fall deeper when she desperately _needed_ to just turn it off. Besides, gunshot wound aside, Maura's day had been just as stressful as Jane's, and she really did deserve to go home and not be cooped up in the hospital unnecessarily.

This time when Maura entered she didn't call out Jane's name. She simply went directly to the chair beside the bed and sat down, silently observing her friend's features, and noting her brow furrowed in thought.

Jane recognized the scent of Maura's perfume immediately and opened her eyes. "Hey," she said.

Maura got straight to the point, "Your mom said you wanted to talk."

"Yeah, I just... well... I just wanted to say sorry about earlier. I know I was being a bitch. It's not that I don't want you to stay, I just know that you had a stressful day too, and I think you should go home and rest. Believe me I would go home if I could. You shouldn't have to suffer here too."

Maura thought for a moment. She wasn't convinced that this was the only reason that Jane didn't want her to stay, but she was resolved to stick to her decision to give Jane whatever space she needed. "I want to apologize for earlier as well," she said. "I realize that I may have been a little pushy by automatically assuming that I would be staying with you for the duration of your term here."

Jane chuckled, lightening the mood, "My, my, Dr. Isles... did you just admit to making an assumption?"

Maura laughed as well, "I may have. See this is why I don't make them... I'm terrible at it."

"Well, usually I'd be all for a sleepover, but under the circumstances..." Jane trailed off jokingly. She kept the smile on her face even though her mind finished with the painful thought _...of me being in love with you, and you being in love with my brother, it's probably not a good idea._

"I'll keep that in mind for when you get out of here," Maura teased back. "Since I'm clearly not wanted here," she gave a little glare before continuing, "I have to go. Visiting hours are over now."

"Okay then, but listen Maur, really. I want you to go home and get some rest. Call in tomorrow and just spend the day relaxing. You need it. Seriously, I don't want to see you here anytime before like four in the afternoon."

"Jane, that is ridiculous, I'm perfectly fine."

"Seriously, Maura, if I could make you spend all day at home resting I would, but I know you won't listen to me. Just being able to get you there at all tonight is a small victory."

"You're right, Jane, you wouldn't win that battle unless you were there with me. So, I'll see you tomorrow, after four as per your wishes."

"Yeah, yeah... go home and check on Bass. He had a stressful day too. Give him some extra strawberries."

Maura stood to leave, "I will, and I'll tell him they're from you. Goodnight, Jane."

"Goodnight, Maur. Hey, do me a favor, yeah? When you get home call Ma and Pop on their cell phone so they know you got there okay. I'll call them right now so they know to expect your call. And make sure to set your alarm."

Maura smiled and gave a small nod, "Of course, Jane." Unthinkingly, she bent down and kissed Jane on the cheek. "See you tomorrow," she said, striding out the room, leaving a stunned detective in her wake.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

Jane hated being in the hospital. She hated just being idle. Especially when there was nothing on tv. There was only so much baby daddy drama that she could take. She hated the fact that there was no escaping her mother. She had been in and out of the room all day, alternating between fussing over her and guilt tripping her. She hated the fact that all she could do was think. There was nothing to distract her from her thoughts. And think she did.

All day she thought about Maura. About how she was supposed to act around her now that she was had, unfortunately, become self-aware. About how she would handle the progression of Frankie and Maura's relationship. About how one day they would move in together, get married, have kids. _That'd be too much for me. I'll just transfer to Texas or somewhere when that happens,_ she thought.

She did have a slight reprieve from her melancholy thoughts when Frost and Korsak came to visit her on their lunch break. They brought her a donut, which other than the the jello that the nurse brought her, was the highlight of her day thus far. Frost updated her with all the goings on at the precinct. He told her that Maura did take the day off, but that she had insisted that it would only be one. He also told her about the investigation into Bobby, and the clean up effort. Korsak informed her that Cavanaugh wanted them to pass on a message to her. He wanted her to go home and recover. She wasn't to be seen in the station at all for at least three weeks, or else, and even then she'd be on desk duty for a month. Jane had the expected angry reaction to that news. On that note, the detectives decided that their lunch break was over and they really needed to get back to work.

So they left a slightly fuming Jane alone to her thoughts once again. Once Korsak and Frost left it was quiet for a long time. Her mother didn't come in, nor did the doctor. Unfortunately, neither did the nurse with some more jello. It was like everyone had forgotten about her. _Ugh... I should've just let Maura stay... I am sooo bored. No, I need to not be so addicted to her. Get over it, keep some boundaries, you can do this._

True to her word, it was after four when Jane heard the clicking of Maura's heels entering her room. Glancing at the clock, Jane snickered, "Really, Maura? 4:01."

"Nice to see you too, Jane. I did promise I would see you after four. Is it, or is it not after four?" Maura said with a smile.

"It is. So what did you do today?"

"I spent some time with Bass, he sends his regards by the way. He was quite thankful for the strawberries you sent him." Jane rolled her eyes at this, but Maura ignored her and continued, "I caught up on a few medical journals that I had been putting off, and did a little light cleaning before coming here to see you."

"That doesn't sound very relaxing, Maur, you were supposed to just chill."

"Well I didn't want to just laze the day away with idleness."

"I know, it sucks when it's forced on you," Jane pouted. "I heard you're going to go back to work tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll be better off there since you don't want my company here."

Jane was getting more frustrated by the second. She did want Maura's company, among other things, but she couldn't have it. She couldn't get up. She couldn't go to work. She couldn't have anything she wanted. She glared at Maura, "Ugh... I already explained it to you."

"Yes, you did," Maura stated, not elaborating any further. They sat there just staring at each other, the silence lengthening. Both women were thinking similar thoughts about how stubborn the other was. Maura finally broke the quiet, "I'll just go then."

_No, stay. I'm sorry, I love you, _Jane thought, but what she said was, "Yeah, I'll see you later."

Maura nodded, "I'll come by tomorrow after work, maybe you'll be more receptive then. I'm going to see Frankie, do you want me to tell him anything?"

Maura waited for a moment. When Jane didn't answer, or respond in any way really, she just gave a little sigh and walked out the door.

"Crap!" Jane said to the empty room.

* * *

><p>Maura practically stomped into Frankie's room and sat down in the chair with a huff.<p>

"Let me guess," he said with an amused smile, "you just came from seeing my sister?"

"She is so difficult, I do not understand her."

"Don't worry about it. You know how she is when you try and force her to do anything. If it had been her idea to be lazy she'd be all for it, but since she doesn't have a choice she's gonna fight it."

"I know."

"And it's about to get worse."

"Why?"

"Because she is going to be so pissed when she finds out I'm going home tomorrow. The doctors say that as long as I take it real, real easy there's no reason I can't go home. Especially since I'll be at Ma's and she'll be there to take care of everything I need."

"That's excellent Frankie. Be sure that she checks your incision site every few hours, and that you take your pain medication a half an hour earlier than prescribed so it doesn't wear off, and be sure-"

Frankie cut Maura off with a laugh. "Thanks, Doc. Ma's got it all covered, she's already gone over it with the doctor. And over it, and over it, and over it..."

Maura laughed, "I'm sorry Frankie, I'm sure your mother will be able to handle everything perfectly well."

"Yeah, she's gonna drive me crazy I know it. I'm surprised she hasn't started with the 'see you need a wife to take care of you' bit."

"Well, I did see some cute nurses out there," Maura said teasingly.

"Oh god, not you too..." Frankie groaned.

Maura laughed and explained to him that she had overheard Angela talking about the nurses the day before. Frankie laughed along with her. He had known Maura before, and had really liked her, but he felt like he was _really_ getting to know her now. He hoped that his sister got over whatever it was that bugging her and got her act together. They both deserved to be happy.

"Hey," Frankie said when they had finished their little gigglefest, "you gotta come see me at Ma's house and give me a little normal as a break from the crazy."

"Normal isn't a word people usually associate with me, but I will definitely come visit you and give it a try," she said, flashing another smile at him. Maura recalled the time when Jane had offered to share Frankie with her since she didn't have a brother of her own. Maybe she would take her up on that offer.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

As planned, Frankie got to go home the next day. He stopped in to see Jane before he went. He expected her to be happier to see him than she was. He figured it was just because she was jealous that he was getting to go home already. He had no idea that it was really because she thought that he was taking her Maura away from her. So after a short visit, he was on his way and she was as moody as ever. That was the state that Maura found her in when she stopped by after work.

"Are you in better spirits today?" she asked warily.

"Not really," Jane answered. "Frankie got to go home today."

"Yes, he informed me of that probability yesterday."

"It's not fair," Jane said with a little pout.

Maura couldn't help but laugh. "You'll get to go home soon enough. Besides, would you rather be imprisoned here... or at your mother's?"

"You do have a point there." Jane conceded. "I guess this is the lesser of two evils."

"See, silver lining and all that," Maura teased.

"Yeah, yeah. So how was work, anything good?"

Maura spent the next ten minutes telling Jane about her workday. There hadn't been any new homicides, but apparently it must have been suicide day because there had been two on her table today. Jane had been interested in the specifics, so she was going over the facts of the two cases when they were interrupted.

"Hey there detective," a male nurse called out as he entered the room, "it's that time again."

"Hey Jeff, do your thing," Jane answered.

"Excuse me," the nurse said to Maura while moving over to the side of Jane's bed. She moved out of the way so he could check Jane's stitches and bandages. "Everything looks good here," he said, "see you in a few".

"Thanks man. Hey where's Alex," Jane called after him as he was leaving.

Jeff stopped in the doorway and gave a little laugh. "On break," he answered. "But don't worry, you're a priority patient," he said with a wink before continuing out the door.

"Damn straight," she hollered.

Curious, Maura asked, "Who is Alex?"

"My favorite nurse," Jane answered simply.

Then, as if conjured by the mere thought, in walked Jane's favorite nurse. Maura was stunned. She had assumed, as most people would, that Alex had been another male nurse. What she had not been expecting was a beautiful blonde with stunning blue eyes and a beaming smile. In fact, prior to her entrance, Maura had just been about to tease Jane about her sudden appreciation for male nurses. However, seeing the figure in front of her, all feelings of playfulness evaporated and were replaced by those of jealousy. Maura just sat quietly, observing the interaction between the two.

"And how is our wonderful detective doing this fine afternoon?" Alex asked, striding over to the bedside.

Maura's eyes narrowed slightly. _My__ wonderful detective,_ she thought.

Jane scoffed, "What's so fine about it? I'm stuck in here, and Frankie got to go home already."

"Grumpy again I see. Well, I brought you something to cheer you up," Alex said, flashing her dazzling smile as she brought her had out from behind her back.

Jane's eyes lit up. "Extra jello? Oooh... with a little bit of whipped cream too. You're the best, I so love you. I wouldn't be able to make it through without this stuff," Jane said as she started to dig in.

Maura was inwardly fuming. _A little jello and she's the happiest I've seen her in days. 'Oh Alex... you're the best... I love you'... oh please._

Alex laughed, then turned her smile towards Maura. "I'm sorry, I've been rude. I'm Alex, Jane's nurse," she said holding her hand out to shake Maura's.

Concealing the wave of dislike that had overcome her, she answered in her usual, perfectly polite, lilting voice, _"Dr._ Maura Isles, Jane's _best_ friend._"_ As she reached out to grasp Alex's hand, she wondered if the nurse had registered the slight emphasis placed on her words and the implied claim that she was staking.

"Nice to meet you Dr. Isles," Alex responded. Turning back to Jane she continued, "Well, I have other patients to see, so I'll come check back in a bit."

"Okay then, catch you later," Jane said. "And thanks for the jello."

"Anytime," the nurse replied as she left the room.

"Man, that's good stuff," Jane said as she finished up her treat.

"Hmm," was Maura's only response.

"Okay, spill. What's wrong with you?" Jane questioned. When Maura didn't answer, Jane continued, "I mean, you were kinda condescending to Alex."

"Oh, you mean your new best friend Alex?"

Now Jane was starting to get angry. And the jello had put her in such a good mood too. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh I don't know Jane. I'm here, I'm right here for you, and you've just been treating me so badly lately. I mean, I worry about you. I want to help you, to be here for you, to be what you need, and I just get spit on for my effort. Then Alex waltzes in with a little bit of jello, and in your eyes she deserves to be canonized. I just don't know what you want from me."

Jane felt horrible. She knew that she had been awful to Maura seemingly without any real, legitimate reason. In her mind it was a reason, a good reason, but she couldn't tell Maura that. She was so afraid of losing her that she was pushing her away. Knowing that she could never explain why, Jane opted to just apologize. "Maura, I'm so sorry."

Maura sighed sadly. "I know Jane, and I'm sorry too. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'll give you some space and call you in a few days."

With that Maura left, leaving Jane to wonder what she was doing to her best friend, and why it was that every visit seemed to end with a fight.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

It was now Sunday. The last time Maura had spoken to Jane was on Thursday. Three days ago. They had never gone three days without speaking before. Fortunately for Maura, Frankie was stepping into his role as her new little brother very well. He somewhat helped fill the void that Jane's absence had created. They were currently sitting in the family room while Angela was bustling about the kitchen making pasta. Maura had wanted to help, but Angela insisted that she go keep Frankie company. Frank Sr. had been called on some kind of plumbing emergency so the pair were left to their own devices.

Glancing at the kitchen door to make sure it was still closed, Frankie said in a hushed voice, "You should just tell her you know."

Maura sighed. She had been hearing this argument, or variations of it, since she had come over on Thursday and told him all about Alex. "No Frankie, it's obvious that you were mistaken in your assessment of her feelings for me."

He decided to try a different route, "Come on Maura, I want you to be my sister," he whined.

Maura just laughed at him, "You are absurd, you know that?" At Frankie's pout she added, "If it makes you feel any better, I do view you as the brother I never had."

"Aww... I love you too Maura," he grinned, then just to tease her, "but I still think you should tell Janie so it can be official."

They hadn't heard Angela enter the room. "Tell Janie what?"

They both jumped when they heard Angela's voice. _Stupid swinging kitchen doors,_ Maura thought as Angela asked again, "What does Maura need to tell Jane?" The pair just stared at her, neither knowing what to say. When no answer had been forthcoming, Angela asked again, her voice rising slightly with a touch of anger coloring her tone, "Franco Salvatore Rizzoli Jr., I do not want to have to ask again!"

"Uh-oh, she full named me," Frankie muttered. He shot Maura a slightly worried look before he answered, "I can't tell you, Ma, it's private between Maura and me."

Very quickly, Maura thought through what the consequences would be of just telling Angela the truth. There were so many downsides. She could lose practically everything that she had come to hold dear. All of the Rizzolis, not just Jane, had become the most important people in her life. They were her family. The people who not only accepted her, but _wanted_ to include her. They genuinely wanted her, despite all of her idiosyncrasies. Besides, she wasn't even sure that her feelings were reciprocated, so would it be worth it to risk all of that. _Yes_, she decided. Because she trusted Angela, and truly felt that she was part of this family now, and nothing would change that.

Angela looked like she was about to blow. Just as she opened her mouth, Maura cut her off, "I'm in love with Jane."

Angela froze. There were two ways she could react here. She could get angry, yell, and throw Maura out of her house. Or, she could accept what she had already suspected to be true. Besides, despite all of the doctor's quirks, Angela did love her and see her as part of the family anyways. She looked at Frankie, then at Maura, both frozen in anticipation of her reaction. She gave a little laugh at the scared expressions on their faces. "Oh, is that all?" she asked. "Well, dinner's ready if you two are. Frank called and said he was going to be a little bit late, so we'll just go ahead."

Both of their jaws dropped. It was Frankie who found his voice first. "Ma? What is-... Are you-... Did you hear what Maura just said?" he stuttered.

"Of course I did Frankie, I'm not deaf."

"And you have nothing to say besides 'dinner's ready'?" he asked incredulously.

Maura, quite curious about what Angela really had to say as well, looked at her expectantly. "Well, to be honest, I'm not shocked. I had suspected that you girls had something more going on. Especially Janie. She's not easy to read, but one look at you and she lights up like a Christmas tree."

"So, you're not angry? You wouldn't prefer for her to find some man to take care of her?" Maura asked.

"Not at all, dear. I hope you know that you are already a part of this family, and we love you. It would be impossible for Jane to do any better than you."

Eyes filled with tears, Maura jumped up and leapt into Angela's arms. As she was hugging her, she realized how out of character this was for her to be so quick to show her affection in such a physical way. She was never one to initiate contact with anyone other than Jane. Being part of the Rizzolis was already making her a warmer person.

"So from what I heard, I'm guessing that Jane doesn't know you feel this way about her?" Angela asked.

"No, I haven't told her. I'm not sure how she feels, and I don't want to risk losing all of this," Maura answered.

Still holding Maura's hand, Angela shook her head. "No matter what happened, you would never lose us. We are your family now."

"Yeah, you're stuck with us now, _sis_," Frankie threw in. "Besides, I like you better anyways."

"Besides," Angela continued, completely ignoring her son, "like I said. I'm sure Jane feels the same way."

"I told you so," Frankie called out, already making his way to the dining room.

"Let's go eat, and then you can take some over to Jane. I don't know how they expect her to get better eating that hospital junk. She'll appreciate the pasta, and then maybe you girls can talk and sort stuff out."

Maura nodded and followed the two Rizzolis into the dining room. Angela knew and was accepting. Frankie knew and was encouraging. It might be time to talk to Jane about it after all.

* * *

><p>It turned out to not be the time for the talk after all. As Maura approached Jane's room she could hear laughing voices filtering out of it. Stepping inside, her heart lurched at the sight. Sitting in her chair next to Jane's bed was Nurse Alex, and she wasn't wearing scrubs. Maura understood that to mean that this was purely a social call. The conversation trailed off into nothing as Maura awkwardly stepped into the room.<p>

Determined to hold her head high, Maura walked over to Jane and handed her the container with the pasta. "Your mother thought you might like something other than hospital food for dinner," she explained.

"Uh... thanks Maur," Jane answered.

"You're welcome, Jane."

The three women stared at each other in silence. Maura at Jane, Alex at Maura, and Jane's eyes flitting between the two of them. Finally, Maura broke the silence. "Well, have a good night," she said, turning and leaving the room before anyone could even respond.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

Jane was so ready to go home. Lucky for her, today was that day. She was so relieved that it would be just a few more hours now. She thought for sure that if she had to be cooped up there for one more day they would have to just move her straight to the psych ward because she'd definitely be crazy.

It didn't help that this past week had been one of the strangest weeks of her life. First, she shoots herself to try and save Frankie. Then, somehow he manages to steal her best friend. Plus it didn't help matters any that every time she saw Maura she had decided to act like a total jerk. Next, her mother was being oddly distant. Usually she jumped at the chance to smother her, but for some reason she just hadn't been around. True, Frankie was at home and needed a lot of help still, but that didn't change the fact that she was hurt too, right? Top it all off with a flirty nurse who might be a start to getting over Maura and it had been one hell of a week. _Note to self, _Jane thought, _don't shoot yourself. Everything falls apart after that._

Speaking of flirty nurse, Alex came strolling into the room. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Oh god, yes," Jane answered.

"Well, they've decided to go ahead and discharge you now instead of later in the day. I think they're just as glad to see you go home as you are," Alex said with a laugh.

"Really? I can go now?"

"Yup, just as soon as someone can come pick you up."

"All right!" Jane exclaimed, causing Alex to laugh again.

Jane immediately started making phone calls. She wanted out as soon as possible. First, she called her mom. Angela had been out running errands and told her that it would probably be about two hours until she'd be able to pick her up. With a whine, Jane told her that she was going to try to find someone else to come get her sooner and would call her back if she couldn't. Her pop was next, but he was out on a job and had no idea when he'd be finished. Alex had walked out sometime during the conversation with her dad. Then, as much as she didn't want to because of the recent strain on their friendship, she decided to call Maura. It rang, and rang, and rang, then went to voicemail. The same happened when she tried to call Korsak. By now, Jane was super frustrated. Frost was her last hope. At least he actually answered her call. He told her that they caught a case and were still at the scene. Getting off the phone with him quickly, Jane really didn't want to hear about the fact that they were working. She was bitter that it was something she wouldn't be doing for a long while. She was laying in her bed, muttering to herself, and obviously fuming when Alex walked back in.

"No luck?" she asked.

Jane growled, "No. You'd think that someone would care that I was getting out of the hospital today."

"Well, to be fair, you weren't supposed to be let go until later, so your mom probably thought she had plenty of time before she had to come."

"That's true," Jane grumpily conceded.

"If it makes you feel any better, my shift ends in fifteen minutes and I could take you home."

Jane sat up straighter in excitement. "Oh my god, really? That would be awesome."

"Sure, no problem. In fact, let me just go finish up a couple things and I'll come back with a wheelchair and we'll be on our way." Jane scrunched up her nose at the mention of the wheelchair. Before she could argue, Alex said, "The wheelchair is hospital policy. Besides, if you push yourself too hard it'll take longer to fully heal, and it's a really long walk out."

Crossing her arms in a pout, Jane just humphed as she watched Alex walk out the door to go finish her business. _Oh well, _she thought, _at least I'm getting out of here._

* * *

><p>There was nothing more that could be done at the scene. Maura had given the body her standard once over, but as usual, to find anything solid she needed to get the body back to the morgue. Pulling out her phone to call her assistants to alert them that the body was in transit, she saw that she had a missed call from the hospital. She was instantly worried. Just as she had been about to dial the hospital back, Frost came over.<p>

"Hey, Doc, I saw your face. Don't worry, Jane is fine. Well, probably really, _really_ mad, but fine other than that," he told her.

"How did you know I was going to call Jane?" Maura wondered.

"Like I said, I saw your face. You got this worried look after seeing your phone, and I know you had a missed call from her because I talked to her. She had called Korsak, too, but he didn't answer either."

"If nothing is wrong, why was she calling everyone?"

"Oh, they let her go earlier than she thought they would and she wanted someone to go get her. I guess her parents were busy so she called us, but we've all been here."

"Do you know if she still needs someone to get her?"

"Umm... that I don't know. If she still does I wouldn't want to be the one to go. I bet you she's heated." He stopped to think about it for a second. "On second thought, maybe I would want to be to the one to get her. She'll be forever grateful to her rescuer. Well, maybe not forever, but long enough to get some donuts I bet," he said with a laugh.

Maura laughed too, "I'd wager you wouldn't get past the first dozen before you were on her hit list again. I'll just call Angela and see if she picked her up."

Angela had just walked into her house when Maura called her. She told her that Jane had said she was going to call back if she couldn't get a ride. Since she hadn't heard from her, she just assumed that Jane had gone home. In fact, she had actually assumed that Maura would be the one to take her, so she was surprised that Maura had no idea where Jane was. Maura thanked her and told her she would call back once she figured out what was going on.

After calling the hospital and confirming that she did indeed go home, Maura decided to stop by Jane's before heading back to the morgue. Unable to decide whether or not she should just use her key, she resolved to at least try knocking first. Shortly after her knock, she heard the slight sound of footsteps indicating that Jane was on her way to the door. Maura was shocked when the door swung open and she was greeted by the sight of a beautiful blonde, not her best friend.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12**_

Maura stood in the doorway not knowing exactly what to do. Her every instinct was telling her to just turn and leave, but the social etiquette ingrained into her since birth wouldn't allow that. So, with the brightest smile she could muster she greeted the blonde. "Hello Alex, I just came by to check on Jane. Is she here?"

"Of course, Dr. Isles, she just decided to change into something more comfortable. Please come in," Alex answered, stepping away from the door to allow Maura to pass.

Jane came slowly out of her bedroom tying the drawstring on her sweats as she walked. "Man that was trickier than I thought it was going to be. So I was thinking pizza, what do you th-," having just lifted her eyes, she stopped talking when she saw Maura. "Hey Maur, what are you doing here?"

A small look of hurt flashed across Maura's face, "I just wanted to make sure you got home okay. No one seemed to know where you were."

"Oh yeah, everyone was busy, but luckily Alex's shift was ending and she was able to bring me. We were just talking about getting some regular food since I'm finally out of the hospital. You wanna stick around?"

"No thank you, I have to go back to work. I just wanted to make sure you were all right first."

"Come on, Dr. Isles. I'll go pick up the pizza so it's here faster. You've got to eat lunch, right?" Alex piped up from where she had sat on the couch.

Maura didn't want to be here. She didn't want to have to sit and watch the interaction between this other woman and her best friend. She could see it on her face. The interest, the attraction, the desire for more. Facial muscles didn't lie. What was worse was that she could see the response in Jane. The natural response one has when someone else's body telegraphs their interest in a purely primitive way. Mating behavior. "True, but I need to get started on this case right away, time is of the essence," she looked towards Jane who nodded in agreement.

"Well," Jane said, "I don't know if 'have fun' is the right sentiment here, but that's all I've got."

Maura laughed as she turned to leave, "I'm not sure that's quite appropriate, but I understand what you're trying to convey. Goodbye Jane. Alex."

"See ya. Hey, call me if you get done early."

Maura just nodded and waved as she left the apartment as quickly as possible. Jane just sat for a moment looking at her closed door.

"Sooo, pizza?" Alex asked, breaking the moment.

* * *

><p>While they ate, Jane couldn't help but make comparisons between Alex and Maura. In every aspect that Jane thought about, Alex was just a little less. Good, but not quite Maura. True, Alex's eyes were a beautiful blue, but Maura's sparkled more, and shone with intelligence. That was another thing, but to be fair, no one was as smart as Maura Isles. Jane also considered their hair. Maybe Alex was just a little too blonde for her liking. She was a little taller, but Jane decided she liked Maura's shorter, and fuller figure better. The only real plus that Alex had in her column was that she was completely free. She might not fall in love with Alex, but she could give it a shot. If anything, it would be a step in the right direction to getting over Maura. A step in the direction of being able to be happy when Maura and Frankie came out with their relationship. A way to help her draw that line between a lover and her best friend. Yes, Alex could help her maintain the boundaries that she should have if Maura was only her best friend and nothing else.<p>

Alex, completely unaware of the decision making exercise going on in Jane's head, just continued on their conversation as normal, "So, the Sox are looking better after that horrible first month, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Jane responded, "hopefully they go all the way this year."

"That would be pretty awesome. Especially since Jeff is a Yankees fan."

"Eww..." Jane scrunched her up nose, "and I thought I liked that guy." She and Alex both laughed. "You know, we should go to a game together sometime. I haven't been to any this season, and it'd be nice to go with someone I know will actually enjoy it."

Alex beamed. "Sure, it's a date," she said.

"Great," Jane said with a smile. _See that wasn't so hard,_ she thought. _Step one..._

Any further conversation was interrupted by Alex's phone. One of the night nurses needed to call in sick and wanted to her to cover for her. Alex agreed, saying that the nurse owed her one. With a quick goodbye she was off to work again leaving Jane to her own thoughts.

Exhausted, she decided to just stretch out on the couch and watch some tv. She didn't want to admit it, but she was definitely feeling some pain now. Maybe she overdid it earlier when she was changing her clothes. Alex was a nurse, she could've helped her out. _How awkward would that have been though if Maura had decided to use her key instead of knock and walked in on that scene_, she thought. Jane shook her head, _it wouldn't matter since she's never thought of me that way anyways_.

Deciding that she'd had about enough of the stupid aching in her body, Jane decided to take some painkillers. Within minutes she was dozing on the couch. It wasn't until a few hours later, when the remote control slipped off the couch and clattered to the floor, that she woke with a start. Glancing at the infomercials playing on the tv she wondered what time it was. Sitting up with a groan, she reached out to grab her cell phone off the coffee table. Flipping it open she realized that it was after one in the morning, and Maura never called her.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

It was Sunday night dinner again. Frankie and Maura had been assigned the job of setting the dining room table. Before they started, Angela had informed them that tonight they would need to set enough space for six.

"You know Ma was confused at first when she said she was bringing a friend. She thought she was talking about you," Frankie said.

"Hmm."

"Then she realized that it couldn't have been you since I had just talked to you and you were on your way."

"Mmhmm."

"Are you okay, Maura?"

"Yes. Fine," she answered as she continued circling the table, placing forks and knives at each seat.

Frankie stepped beside Maura and placed a hand on top of hers to still her. "Hey, I know you're not okay, but don't worry. It'll all be fine."

Maura sniffled a bit, and gave a resigned sigh. "I'm not so sure, Frankie," she said. "Everything is just so messed up, and I don't even know why."

Tears were forming in Maura's eyes. It was breaking Frankie's heart to see her like this. The only thing he could think to do was to wrap her up in a hug. He stood there rubbing circles on her back, trying to comfort her, and wondering why Jane was acting so stupid. It was at that moment, when Frankie and Maura's bodies were intertwined, that Jane choose to walk in.

Her face was like stone. "Sorry to interrupt," she said, causing them to spring apart, "but Ma says dinner's ready if you guys are done setting the table."

Maura smoothed out her dress. "Of course, we are ready. Just stay here Frankie, you've been on your feet long enough. I'll go help Angela bring out the dishes."

"Thanks, Maur," he said with a smile.

Jane's eyes narrowed dangerously for a second before she schooled her features back to neutral. _That's __my__ nickname for her_, she thought. Shaking her head as if to erase the thought, she turned to Frankie. "Hey, this is my friend, Alex," she said, motioning to the woman who had been half a step behind her.

"Hey," Frankie said with a little wave. He looked her up and down. Sure, she was pretty, but Maura was definitely prettier. Not that looks were everything, it was just that was all he knew about her so far. It didn't matter though, he knew that Jane and Maura belonged together. Alex would just be a passing phase. Hopefully a short one. He sighed and hoped that Jane would figure it all out soon.

* * *

><p>Dinner was a slightly awkward affair. The conversation was very stilted to say the least. Frank Sr. didn't have much to contribute beyond the standard polite greetings to Alex and his family before he dug into his meal. Maura sat in complete silence next to Frankie, and very seldomly looked up from her plate. Frankie tried to seem interested in the conversation, but he did mostly listening and very little talking. In fact, the bulk of the dialogue was between Angela and Alex, with an occasional insertion from Jane.<p>

After learning that Alex was born in Boston, the youngest of four girls, had been a nurse for five years, and had lost her parents in a car accident when she was a teenager, Angela moved on to, "So, pretty girl that you are, are you seeing anybody?"

Alex turned a little towards Jane. "Ma!" she broke in. "That's none of your business. You can't just ask that."

"What?" Angela asked feigning innocence. "I was just curious. She's so pretty, and you know the Salerno's youngest boy is single now."

"Actually," Alex answered, "I am sort of seeing someone."

"Well, sort of is not really official. Maybe I can-"

"No, Ma," Jane interrupted. "You can't. Because the person she's sort of seeing is me."

Maura dropped her fork noisily onto her plate. Angela and Frankie shot sympathetic glances in her direction. She stood up hastily. "I- I'm sorry. I have to go. Thank you for dinner Angela, it was wonderful," she said as she made a beeline for the door.

"Of course dear," Angela said, reaching out to grab her as she passed. Maura paused for a moment, and Angela gave her hand a little squeeze. "I'll call you tomorrow," she said, looking straight into the doctor's eyes. Maura gave a little nod, Angela released her hand, and she was gone.

After hearing the faint click of the front door closing, the entire table sat in silence.

"What just happened?" Jane asked, confused.

"Oh Janie," Angela sighed, shaking her head.

Frankie's reaction wasn't quite as tranquil. "What the hell is this?" he shouted.

"What's your problem, _Franco?"_ Jane demanded as she rose from her seat.

"You're my problem. This is bull shit," he answered, rising as well. "I mean, no offense Alex, I'm sure you're a great girl, you seem nice and all, but this is total bull shit. What about Maura?"

"What _about_ Maura?"

"Come on, you can't be this stupid."

"Frankie!" Angela interjected.

"No, Ma. She needs to have some sense smacked into her."

"What the hell are you on, Frankie?" Jane yelled.

"Maura's in love with you, you idiot!" Frankie roared.

Jane recoiled as if she had been struck. She sat back down and stared slack-jawed at Frankie for a few moments. "That's not possible," she whispered.

Angela spoke up, "It's true, Janie."

Jane's head snapped to the side. "What the hell, Ma? You knew about this?" Angela just nodded. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I thought I'd let you figure it out on your own."

"Oh my god, Ma. All my life you've been pushing me at people you thought might have the slightest interest in me, and the one time it really mattered you thought you'd_ let me figure it out on my own_? Geez..." Jane put her head in her hands, muttering unintelligibly to herself.

It was Alex who broke through her little monologue. "Jane?" she asked, "Do you love Dr. Isles?"

Jane's head shot up and she cringed a little. "I'm so sorry Alex, this wasn't fair to you. But, yeah. I love her."

"Then go get her."

Jane sighed. "I can't."

"Yes you can Jane. We can still be friends. No harm, no foul."

"No, I mean, I physically can't," Jane said with a smirk. "I can't drive... I just got out of the hospital, remember?"

Alex laughed. "Of course. Well, I'll just have to drop you off then on my way home."

"Okay, let's go then." Jane said, ready to be on her way.

"Okay, okay," Alex laughed again at Jane's impatience. Turning to Angela she said, "Thank you for dinner Mrs. Rizzoli, it was so delicious."

"You haven't even had dessert yet," Angela pouted. "I made cannoli."

"Ma!" Jane yelled.

"I'm sure it's divine, but Jane really should go see Dr. Isles before she spontaneously combusts."

"Well," Angela said, considering, "after you drop her off come back for dessert. Take Frankie with you so you won't have to ride back alone."

Frankie put in his two cents, "Believe me, you don't wanna pass on Ma's cannoli. I'll go with you if you want. I'm sorry about the whole 'bull shit' thing by the way."

"Okay then, I guess if you insist," Alex decided.

"Great, now let's go," Jane said already halfway out the door. Frankie and Alex just laughed again and followed behind her.

Angela heaved a sigh of relief. _Things are going to work out fine between Maura and Jane. Hopefully, Alex will stick around as a friend, she's a sweet girl. Hmm... maybe there's a chance between her and Frankie_.

"Hey Ange," Frank Sr. spoke up interrupting her thoughts. When she nodded he continued, "How come no one around this place ever tells me anything?"


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14**_

Maura was sitting on her couch nursing a glass of wine. As smart as she was, she could not wrap her head around what was happening. She had been right there all along and Jane had never noticed. And now there was Alex. How did this happen? Ever since Jane woke up from her surgery it had seemed as though she had been pushing Maura away. Maura just did not understand, and the more she thought about it, the more upset she got. Soon enough she was sitting there on her second bottle of wine, with tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door.

Standing up slowly, she wiped her face before going to answer the door. "Jane?" she said as she pulled the door open, completely shocked to see her there.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course," Maura said, stepping aside. "How did you get here?"

"Alex brought me."

Now Maura was really confused. Why would Alex bring Jane to her house? Especially since they were 'sort of' seeing each other. "Umm... okay. Why?"

"Because I love you," Jane said simply. When no answer came from Maura she added, "and I needed to tell you. You needed to know."

Maura was sure she was dreaming. Why was this happening now? Especially since the past week had been hellish. "Why now? What made you suddenly..." she broke of, realization dawning in her eyes. "Oh... Frankie. He told you."

"Umm... yeah he told me. He told me that- he told me that you love me. That's why I needed to come here to tell you that I love you, too," she answered, trying to gather Maura into her arms.

But Maura pushed her away. "No, Jane."

Jane was confused. "What? Why? Didn't you hear me say that I love you too?"

"Yes, I heard you Jane. I believe that you want to love me. Because you're my best friend, and you now know that I'm in love with you, and you want to make me happy. That's not enough though. I don't want you to convince yourself to love me. It's not fair to either one of us." Maura was crying again. Jane led her to the couch and sat her down but didn't join her. Instead she very slowly paced in front of her.

"This isn't going right," she said mostly to herself. "Why doesn't she see that I love her? That I've loved her for so long."

Maura watched Jane pace and mumble to herself. "Sit down, you're going to hurt yourself."

Jane stopped pacing and stood right in front of Maura. With a determined look on her face she reached down and grabbed her hand. "I love you, Maura. I don't know why you don't believe me, but it's so true."

"Jane..."

"No, let me finish. I love your quirky intelligence. How you can go on and on about Euler's number E to like the bajillionth place, but you need to have a fluff sandwich explained to you. I love how you want to be so accurate and precise that you'll still call blood a 'reddish brown stain' until you get lab confirmation even if it's seeping out of a gaping wound. I love how much you care... about everything and everyone. I love your kindness, and how much you try to help and think of others. I love how you can't lie without hyperventilating. I love your enthusiasm. I love your smile... it lights up my world. I could go on and on about all the little things I love about you. I just love you... all of you."

Tears had begun streaming down Maura's face again during Jane's monologue. "I'll tell you one thing I don't love though," Jane said, reaching down to wipe the tears off the other woman's face. "I hate it when you cry. It breaks my heart."

"Oh Jane," Maura sobbed, pulling Jane down onto the couch with her. She wrapped her arms around her and continued to cry. For her part, Jane just sat there rubbing her back until the tears subsided. Finally, Maura spoke up, "Why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?"

Jane pulled back, looking a little sheepish. "Well," she answered hesitantly, "it's actually really stupid."

"It's okay, just tell me."

She knew that she had to just tell the truth, no matter how stupid it seemed. Jane sighed, "Well... the truth is. I was afraid of losing my best friend... and I... I uh... thought that you were in love with Frankie."

"What? That's ridiculous," Maura laughed. "What would ever give you that idea?"

"I told you it was really stupid, but it was a uh... a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yeah, well you see after surgery, before I woke up I had this dream. It was so vivid, I would've bet my life that it was real. Well, in this dream you and Frankie got married. I was freaking out, and actually I think that's what woke me up. Anyways, so I had this terrible dream and then I wake up and you're not there. You're not there because you're with Frankie. And I just knew that you had to be in love with him. Especially since you've been spending a lot of time with him lately..."

"Oh Jane, I'm so sorry," Maura said, grasping her hand tightly. "I wanted to be there so bad, but things just got in the way. When I finally was able to see you though, you acted like you didn't even want me there."

"I know, I know. It was the dream. It was making me crazy. I thought if I pushed you away, and tried to see you as only my best friend instead of the person I loved, it would be easier for me once you and Frankie got married."

"You know there have been cases documented where patients who have been in a coma, or under anesthesia, have had a disassociation with reality once they've woken up. They become completely disoriented and have problems separating their fantasy dreamworld from their actual lives. In fact, many patients-"

Jane cut Maura off with a kiss. "Thank you, Talking Google, but I experienced it first hand."

Maura smiled and brought Jane in for another kiss. "So, does this mean no more Nurse Alex."

"Not for me anyways, but Frankie might have a shot."

"Really?" Maura asked curiously.

"Yup, anyways I'm totally over nurses. Especially since there's this super hot doctor that I kinda have a thing for," Jane said while pushing Maura further back onto the couch. Maura just rolled her eyes and allowed it. After a couple minutes of deeper kisses and roaming hands, Jane pulled back with a wince.

Maura was immediately concerned. "Are you in pain?"

"A little, but it's totally worth it," Jane answered trying to continue where she left off.

"No, Jane, you're still recovering. It's been a very long day for you, and you need to lay down. Let's go to bed," Maura said standing up. She held her hand out to Jane to help her off the couch. Jane smirked and waggled her eyebrows. Maura laughed. "To sleep," she specified. Jane gave a little pout as she grasped Maura's proffered hand. Maura led Jane to the bedroom where they laid down to fall asleep in each other's arms.


	15. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

_It was a hot summer day, and Jane was standing under the protective shade of a gazebo. The beautifully decorated garden that housed said gazebo was filled with the sounds of happy conversation and laughter. She looked around at the neatly placed rows. One set held her friends and family. Her parents sitting in the front, Korsak and Frost right behind them, followed by various brothers in blue and extended family. She noticed the other set of rows held faces that weren't as familiar to her. She knew she recognized some, but she couldn't quite place them. Her brother, wearing a white suit to match hers, was standing right next to her._

"_We should be starting soon," Frankie said softly. Jane simply nodded, fidgeting slightly with the hem of her jacket. _

_Many things happened in rapid succession. The congregation grew silent. Music flared. The gathering stood. And Maura, a vision in white, appeared at the head of the aisle. She was beaming as she began her slow trek towards the dais. Jane could feel the blood rushing around in her head. She had never seen anything as perfect as the sight in front of her. Finally, Maura reached the end of her walkway. _

_As the crowd sat, Jane stepped forward, a wide smile spread across her face. As she reached out and grasped Maura's hand she couldn't help raising it to her lips and giving it a soft kiss, never breaking eye contact. Maura mouthed the words "I love you", and Jane was lost in her eyes until Frankie cleared his throat and broke the spell. Looking quickly to the crowd, then to the minister, Jane blushed and muttered a quick "Sorry"._

_There was a spattering of chuckles, including the minister who softly said, "Not to worry," with a smile before continuing in a much louder voice, "Family and friends, we are all gathered here today to witness the joining of Maura Elizabeth Isles and Jane Sophia Rizzoli..."_

Jane smiled in her sleep, on the cusp of waking up. The dream was a memory of one of the best days of her life, and she was trying to relive it a little longer. She stirred a little bit, reaching out for her wife. When her hands grasped nothing but cold sheets her smile faded, her brows furrowed, and she stuck her lip out in a little pout. A little giggled pulled her firmly into the realm of wakefulness. Opening her eyes, her gaze was met by a pair of twinkling brown eyes peering at her over the edge of her bed. With an exaggerated gasp, she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the blanket over her head. More giggles rang out, and Jane's arms darted out from under the covers to pull their source in with her.

"Mama!" the little voice squealed, laughing. "Let me go!"

Jane held the little boy closely against her body. "No..." she answered, "I think I'm going to go back to sleep with my new Sammy-bear..."

"You can't go back to sleep, Mama. Mommy says it's time to wake up and get ready to go to Nonna's."

"You don't say?" Jane questioned her five-year old son. When he nodded, she continued, pretending to ponder for a moment, "Hmm... I think I have a better idea."

"What is it, Mama?"

"I think... that I'm going to stay in bed... and tickle you!" she answered, as she attacked her son with tickles.

His shouts and peals of laughter attracted Maura's attention. She stood in the doorway observing the scene with her two-year old daughter on her hip. Seeing his other mother and his sister, Sammy tried to enlist their help. "Help me Mommy! The tickle monster's got me!"

"She can't save you son, no one can," Jane responded, continuing her merciless attack.

Maura simply laughed and went over to join the pair on the bed. Immediately upon setting her daughter on the bed, the baby girl launched herself at her Mama.

"Oh, you want some too, Lily?" Jane asked, grabbing her up and setting to work at making her laugh like her brother.

Seeing his escape, Sammy leapt into the safety of Maura's arms. "I knew you'd save me Mommy," he declared with a big hug and a kiss to her cheek.

"Of course, darling, now how about we save your sister too?"

"Yeah, let's get Mama."

"On the count of three. One... two... three."

On three, they ambushed Jane. Between the two of them it was too much for her to handle. "Okay... ahh... ahh... I give... I give," she sputtered out between giggles.

"Yes! Victory is ours!" Sammy yelled out in triumph, holding his arms above his head and grinning smugly.

"This time," Jane agreed. "But just you wait, little man. Your Mommy's not always gonna be around to protect you, and then I'll get my revenge."

Sammy jumped off the bed and ran to hide behind Maura's legs. He peeked out at his mama who was pretending like she was going to lunge out at him, while his sister just sat on the bed laughing in amusement.

Maura always hated to break up little moments like this, but they really needed to get going. "Okay Sam, let's go finish getting ready. Mama needs to get up and get ready too, because Nonna's waiting for us."

"Is Auntie Alex going to be there?" he asked as he made his way towards the door.

"Of course she is. It is Uncle Frankie's birthday after all."

"Yaaay! I love Auntie Alex!" he yelled as he ran off towards his room.

"Of course he does. All the Rizzolis _love_ Auntie Alex," Maura said teasingly with a mock glare to her wife as she plucked Lily off the bed and set her down on the floor to follow her brother.

Jane rolled her eyes. She knew that Maura had no insecurities or animosities towards Alex. The thing between her and Jane was over before it had even really started. Besides, Frankie and Alex had been happily married for two years now, and were expecting a little addition of their own in a couple of months.

As Maura stood up from setting down her daughter, Jane reached out quickly and pulled her onto the bed, rolling them so that Maura was pinned to the mattress. Smirking at her wife, she bent her neck down to give her a deep, languid kiss. "Well, I love _you_," she said, before kissing her again.

"I love you, too," Maura answered as Jane began kissing her behind her ear. "Jane..."

"Hmm..." she answered as she continued the kisses down Maura's neck.

"You're wrinkling my shirt."

Jane pulled back and burst out laughing. "_Really?_" she asked, rolling off and allowing Maura to sit up.

"Well," she said, smoothing out her top, "we really have to go. You know how I hate to be late."

"I know. Okay, okay. Go finish getting the kids ready. I'll take a quick shower and be out in twenty."

With another quick peck, Maura bounded out the door to go wrangle the kids. Jane watched her go with a smile on her face, thinking about how lucky she was that everything worked out just perfectly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So... thanks for reading. One of my biggest dislikes about this story was that I felt that it wasn't happy enough. It was a downer a lot of the time. I hope it ended well enough though :-)<strong>


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